Meditation Class: The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel & The Arrival of Oleg Alexander: A Mystic’s Journal Entries: July 25 - 27, 2006 by Laurie Conrad. Laurie Conrad is the author of Realms of Light, Meetings With Angels and Other Divine Beings , and We Meet in Dreams , all scheduled for publication in 2006. She is also the author of The Spiritual Life of Animals and Plants , which was published in 2002.

Meditation Class: The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel & The Arrival of Oleg Alexander: A Mystic’s Journal Entries: July 25 - 27, 2006

Tuesday, July 25

Another hot day in the nineties that I missed. Well, I am still staying inside the house; weak, a bit feverish.

Oleg Alexander arrived Saturday, early afternoon. M. picked him out and up at the local S.P.C.A., and called me by cell phone on the ride home, so that I could calm him down. He was frantic and loud enough that everyone in the house heard him over the speaker phone. Small and grey and very loving - Sergei immediately adopted him. Sergei is a bit sleep deprived, but has lost that haunted, feverish look. Leonora occasionally babysits little Oleg, and Clarissa has declared war. We are working out a truce.

Still working on the Angels book: wrote an introduction to Section II. My work is almost done, and then I give the manuscript to the editor.

Thursday, July 27

Meditation Class: The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel

Last night, in meditation class, we studied The Chaplet of Saint Michael the Archangel. This series of prayers to St. Michael and the nine choirs of angels was given to a Servant of God by Saint Michael himself. Since it was given to humanity by an archangel, I thought we could find some clues to the various choirs of angels, and also to the Divine Plan for humanity contained within it. I must say that we did find some interesting clues ... And also the beauty of the Divine ordering ...

Aside from the vast rewards for saying this beautiful prayer, I remembered that Saint Bonaventure had written, in A Mind’s Journey to God, that our human journey towards mystical union followed the ascending hierarchies of the angelic choirs. I was therefore doubly interested in Saint Michael’s chaplet. First I will present the chaplet, and all the information I have found on it:

The Chaplet of St. Michael is a wonderful way to honor this great Archangel along with the nine Choirs of Angels. The history of this Chaplet goes back to a devout Servant of God, Antonia d'Astonac, who had a vision of St. Michael. He told Antonia to honor him by nine salutations to the nine Choirs of Angels. St. Michael promised that whoever would practice this devotion in his honor would have, when approaching Holy Communion, an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for those who would recite the Chaplet daily, he promised his continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life.

The Chaplet of St. Michael:

O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. [Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after each of the following nine salutations in honor of the nine Choirs of Angels.]

1. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.

2. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.

3. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.

4. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominions may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen.

5. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our

souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.

6. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen.

7. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.

8. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.

9. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen.

Then: Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and our Guardian Angel. Concluding prayers: O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises. Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.